No decision to impose lockdown in Sindh

KARACHI: Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chief Minister of Sindh, urged Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) to establish a Central Simulation Center and told the media about plans for lockdown.

The rest of the medical universities of the public sector can enable their profession to learn through virtual reality.

Murad Ali Shah while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of Asif Rehman Simulation Center at Dow University of Health Sciences. 

The ceremony was attended by Dr Azra Pechuho, Minister for Health, Sindh, Prof Saeed Qureshi, Vice-Chancellor, DUHS, Prof Zarnaz Wahid, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, DUHS, Faculty members, Arshad Hassan, Principal, Dow Dental College, Dr Asim Hashmi, Dr Faryal and others.

He said that the Government of Sindh was heavily investing in the health sector since Dow University has established state of the art “Simulation Centre” with the assistance of Dow Class-1990 that would enable health professionals, mainly the novice, to learn more efficiently and through mistakes without the fear of harming the patient. “I want a Central Simulation Centre should be established at Dow university and its satellite centres be established in all the government medical universities and colleges so that students in other universities and colleges can learn through virtual reality,” he said and added Sindh government was ready to invest for the purpose.

He articulated that simulation-based medical education was defined as any educational activity that utilizes simulation to replicate clinical scenarios and its tools serve as an alternative to actual patients.

He claimed that healthcare simulations could be said to have four primary purposes – education, assessment, research, and health system integration in facilitating patient safety. He urged all universities to give special attention to research areas in which currently colleges lag.

He said that healthcare professionals needed to be adequately educated and trained to provide competent and efficient care. “Skills learning is an integral part of the training of health professionals,” he said and added the new DUHS, Asif Rehman Simulation Center, was well equipped to deal with different disciplines like obstetrician-gynaecologist. Medicines, Pediatric, Cardiology, and a mock Anatomy Dissection Lab with the aim to facilitate learning through immersion, reflection, feedback, and practice, minus the risks inherent in a similar real-life experience.

Earlier, Syed Murad Ali Shah stated that just after unveiling the plaque to inaugurate the centre, he visited different wards and witnessed a simulation process performed in different wards.

The centre had been established at the cost of Rs230 million, of which Rs30 million have been constituted by the Dow Class 1990.

Talking to the media, Syed Murad Ali Shah expressed that COVID-19 cases had started spreading fast. “On January 1, 2022, we have 300 cases, and on January 13, 2022, 2289 cases have been detected – which means almost 2000 cases have increased within 12 days,” he said.

He added that the Omicron variant had also started showing fast infections, and we have 331 of the three belonging to Hyderabad.

He said that though the COVID-19 cases were increasing even then, the situation was under control. “Our health facilities are not under pressure. Therefore we are not planning to impose lockdown,” he said and added that his government would follow the decisions of NCOC in respect of lockdown or closing of schools.